Mayor de Blasio Releases New Road Map To Build And Preserves 300,000 Affordable Housing

Mayor Bill de Blasio today released his “Housing New York 2.0” plan laying out new tools and programs to build and preserve affordable homes for 300,000 New York families – up from the previously announced goal of 200,000 homes. Under the accelerated and expanded plan, the City will boost the number of affordable homes for seniors and families to an unprecedented 25,000 per year, while also increasing resources and strategies for affordable homeownership programs and not-for-profit organizations purchasing rent-regulated buildings to preserve affordability.

Housing New York 2.0 introduces a suite of initiatives that will help create 200,000 affordable homes two years ahead of schedule, by 2022, and reach a new goal of 300,000 homes by 2026. The City’s upgraded housing plan was announced at New Settlement Apartments in the Bronx where nearly 900 affordable homes, across 15 buildings, are being preserved as affordable for another generation of New Yorkers.

“Building on the incredible affordable housing accomplishments of our first term, Housing New York 2.0 commits us to creating 25,000 affordable homes a year and 300,000 homes by 2026. Making New York a fairer city for today and for future generations depends on it,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Housing New York 2.0 requires an additional $150 million a year in the current 4-year financial plan. This will bring the City’s investment in achieving the 100,000 more homes – or 300,000 total homes – to about $1.3 billion per year over the next nine years. Future financial plans will reflect the commitment.

“Housing New York 2.0 sets a new bar, one that reflects the urgency of the needs on the ground, and builds on the incredible progress that has been made over the past several years. Through innovative new programs and far-reaching policies, we are delivering affordable housing at a clip that hasn’t been seen in decades while doing more to protect tenants and ensure the quality and safety of their homes. Looming threats on the horizon demand that we be more resourceful with underused sites and new technologies; more targeted in preserving the affordability of neighborhoods experiencing rapidly rising rents; and more creative in serving our seniors and expanding opportunities for affordable homeownership. I want to thank the Mayor, my team at HPD and HDC, and our many partners for helping us build a stronger, more equitable city today and for generations to come,” Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer said.

“This Administration has made remarkable progress towards achieving Mayor de Blasio’s vision of a more affordable and equitable New York City. Building on that momentum, our recalibrated housing plan will deploy critical resources and new initiatives to preserve and create even more affordable housing opportunities for New Yorkers,” said HDC President Eric Enderlin. “I thank the Mayor for his leadership, and I commend our many colleagues in the public and private sectors for their continued partnership as we take Housing New York to the next level.”

Department of City Planning Executive Director Purnima Kapur said, “Our housing agencies have been indispensable partners as we work with stakeholders in neighborhoods throughout the city to plan for a more equitable and vibrant future with housing for all New Yorkers. Building on the considerable success of the last four years, Housing New York 2.0 is enhancing the toolkit to address the needs of residents today and in the future. From increasing the City’s commitment to preservation in collaboration with local non-profits, to providing pathways to affordable homeownership, to serving our growing senior population, and pioneering new models of affordable housing, the expansion of the housing plan will go even further to help achieve the goals of a more affordable and equitable New York. City Planning is proud to be part of this critical multi-agency effort.”

“New York City is addressing the housing shortage with an unprecedented investment in affordable housing,” said NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye. “Under NextGen NYCHA, our long-term strategic plan, we’re proud to play our part in providing seniors with affordable homes through Housing New York 2.0.”

Today’s unveiling of Housing New York 2.0 was made at New Settlement Apartments, which were built during the Koch Administration. With City financing, the buildings are being rehabilitated and affordability will be extended for all 893 apartments for an additional 60 years. System wide upgrades include the installation of solar panels and energy efficient boilers at each building.

In partnership with the City, the not-for-profit affordable housing developer Settlement Housing Fund also rehabilitated a playground and initiated the new construction of 60 affordable apartments on a once vacant lot within the portfolio. The 11-story building, where families will start moving in as early as next month, creates 60 new homes for households earning between $20,000 and $53,00 a year, as well as for formerly homeless families.

Since Housing New York launched in 2014, the City has financed the creation or preservation of affordable homes for more than 78,000 households across New York City. This puts the City on track to secure more affordable housing in the first four years of the Administration than in any comparable period since 1978.

Under Housing New York, the City has tripled the share of affordable housing for households earning less than $25,000, and doubled funding for housing construction and preservation.

Building on this foundation Housing New York 2.0 will:

• Create more homes for seniors by setting aside underutilized public lots for new affordable senior housing, and make new and preserved affordable housing accessible to seniors and people with disabilities.
• Build a firewall against displacement in fast-changing neighborhoods by helping non-profits purchase as many as 7,500 traditional rent-stabilized apartment buildings and keep them affordable to current residents.
• Protect affordability at Mitchell-Lama buildings, which represent some of the last already existing affordable homeownership opportunities.
• Unlock affordable homeownership to help low- and moderate-income New Yorkers build equity, improve the quality of their homes, and stabilize New York City neighborhoods by financing construction of coops and condos for first-time home buyers and by offering home repair loans.
• Unlock the potential of vacant lots long considered too small or irregular for traditional housing with innovative smaller homes, and develop more affordable housing on lots long used for parking at existing Mitchell-Lama and federally regulated senior affordable housing complexes.
• Capitalize on advances in technology and innovative design to expand modular building and micro-units that can lower the cost of construction, build new homes faster, and respond to the city’s changing demographics.

“Housing is a basic human need, and studies show a stable place to live helps lead to better employment, better health, and a better overall quality of life,” said U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley. “To ensure the sustainability of our city as well as the ladders of opportunity for every New Yorker, housing affordability is essential. That’s why I’ll continue to fight to protect incentives on the federal level to develop affordable housing and applaud initiatives like Housing New York which are critical in our effort to make our city more livable.”

“Working in partnership with the city, we have put in place initiatives to help senior renters and homeowners stay in their homes, and created and preserved affordable housing for thousands of families and individuals across our city,” said Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, Chair of the Assembly Housing Committee. “Our work is not done, and I look forward to continuing to work with Mayor de Blasio in creating additional housing opportunities for middle- and low-income New Yorkers as well as those in our most vulnerable communities.”

“Quality affordable housing is a top priority for all New Yorkers. We must ensure that New York remains affordable for our families and seniors as our diverse neighborhoods continue to grow. I commend Mayor de Blasio for expanding on his ambitious plan to reach for greater goals to preserve and generate even more affordable housing, fight displacement as well as bring homeownership opportunities for residents across the five boroughs,” said Council Member David Greenfield, Chair of the Land Use Committee.

“This expanded goal is indicative of two things. First, that the steps we are now taking in city government toward confronting this massive problem are having a meaningful positive impact. Second, that we are not content to simply applaud our own successes but to push forward aggressively working from our existing efforts and exploring and implementing new strategies to combat the affordable housing and homelessness crisis. We can do more, we must do more, and with this new goal, we will do more. I look forward to working on those solutions alongside the administration,” said Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings.

“I am pleased that the city’s new open door financing program will promote the construction of cooperative and condominium buildings. Representing tens of thousands of residents of cooperative and condominium housing units, I know that cooperative and condominium housing can make the dream of home ownership a reality for New Yorkers. At the same time, the home fix program will help New Yorkers stay in their homes by providing financing for necessary repairs; I worked on a similar program in the Queens borough president’s office and saw how impactful it was,” said Council Member Barry S. Grodenchik.

“Thank you to Mayor De Blasio for delivering on his commitment to create a more affordable, accessible and equitable New York City,” said Council Member Margaret S. Chin. “The City’s comprehensive plan to create 300,000 affordable homes within the next decade will be a game changer for our communities’ efforts to fight against displacement and homelessness. Through innovative urban planning, leveraging the potential of vacant lots to create senior housing and helping non-profits preserve the affordability of rent-stabilized buildings, our City will provide critical new tools to ensure that longtime residents have the opportunity to thrive and age with dignity in the communities they have helped build.”

“To address New York’s housing crisis, we need to think bigger about preservation. With this initiative, the Mayor is doing exactly that. These new tools to preserve Mitchell-Lama buildings as affordable and to empower nonprofits to prevent displacement will make a huge difference in my district and across the city—especially in tandem with a redoubled effort to prevent tenant harassment. New York City has made a commitment that no tenant stands alone; I look forward to ensuring that we honor it. I thank the Mayor for his leadership and partnership,” said Council Member Helen Rosenthal.

“We applaud the Mayor for his ongoing commitment to address the city’s affordable housing crisis”, said Sam Marks, Executive Director of LISC New York City. “Housing New York: 2.0 is the largest municipal housing plan in the country and reflects the unprecedented crisis in housing affordability and supply impacting virtually all New Yorkers, including working families, seniors, homeowners, and households experiencing homelessness. We welcome the addition of $150 million annually to the city’s financial plan which will help expand homeownership opportunities for low-income renters, preserve the affordability of rental housing at risk of being converted to market-rate housing, and increase the new construction of affordable housing by better leveraging public and privately-owned vacant lots.”

‘What used to be a hallmark of the American Dream and a tool for working and middle class families to achieve economic and social stability is now a luxury reserved mostly for the wealthy. High market prices, rising foreclosure rates and countless scams make it difficult for families to buy and keep their home. The only way to preserve and increase the middle class is through policy targeted at increasing opportunities for homeownership to those who need it most. I applaud the de Blasio administration for instituting these two programs and working to make affordable homeownership a reality for more New Yorkers,” said Council Member Rafael Espinal.

“Homeowners in neighborhoods like East New York are struggling to pay for critically needed repairs to their houses that can mean the difference between financial stability and potential foreclosure, as our recent research has shown,” said Christie Peale, Executive Director of the Center for NYC Neighborhoods. “That’s why we’re thrilled that Mayor de Blasio is tackling the need for expanded, publicly-funded home repair programs with Home Fix. We are also gratified by the promise of Open Door for creating long-term affordability for new homebuyers. Both programs demonstrate the City’s commitment to addressing the housing affordability crisis and supporting homeowners.”

“New York City’s housing crisis disproportionately affects our lowest income households. The new programs and resources that are being rolled out will help ensure that even more of these families have an opportunity to find housing they can afford,” said Rafael E. Cestero, President & CEO of the Community Preservation Corporation. “With crippling federal cuts to affordable housing programs looming large, there is no time to waste in deploying our city’s resources to ensure we are doing all we can to expand and protect our affordable housing stock. I look forward to continuing CPC’s partnership with the city as we work together to address the diverse housing needs of our communities.”

“We applaud the City for launching more initiatives to help support the housing needs of single adults. Single people face particular challenges in the housing market with one income, and more options are desperately needed. By exploring how different housing typologies can respond to our needs, New York continues to be a pioneer of housing innovation,” said Jerilyn Perine, Executive Director of Citizens Housing Planning Council.

“We know that older people in New York City, especially older LGBT people, face a housing crisis,” says SAGE CEO Michael Adams. “That’s why SAGE and our various partners, including the City, are currently building affordable LGBT-welcoming senior housing in Brooklyn and the Bronx. We are proud that the Mayor and the City are taking a larger stance on senior housing, and we look forward to partnering with them to make future housing welcoming to all of NYC’s elders.”

“We commend the Mayor and HPD for increasing the City’s investment in single- and multi-family homeownership opportunities,” said Karen Haycox, CEO of Habitat for Humanity New York City. “By expanding strategies to build and preserve both low-density and cooperative homeownership, the City is positioning itself to lay a new foundation of permanently affordable homes for generations of first-time homebuyers. We look forward to working with the Mayor’s office and HPD to expand our services to more of our low- to moderate-income neighbors, giving them the opportunity to own a piece of their communities and the city we all love.”

“The Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (“UHAB”) has served low-income homeowners in New York City for the past 44 years and believes in the stabilizing effects of homeownership for both individual families and the wider community. We applaud the City for strengthening its efforts to create first-time affordable homeownership opportunities for low-income New Yorkers through the “Open Door” program and for providing much needed resources to struggling homeowners through its “Home Fix” program,” said Andy Reicher, Executive Director of the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board.

“We are thrilled by the Mayor’s renewed and expanded commitment to affordable housing. The need has never been greater. We have no doubt that his incredible team of housing professionals is up to the tremendous task of delivering on the commitment,” said Daniel Moritz, Principal of The Arker Companies.